


It Needed to Happen

by Nerdasaurus1200



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Rapunzel roasts Cass on a spit, Trials
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:49:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28801611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdasaurus1200/pseuds/Nerdasaurus1200
Summary: A missing scene from Plus Et En Vous
Relationships: Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Cassandra/Varian (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	It Needed to Happen

Cassandra smiled hopefully at Rapunzel. Her princess, her friend...her sister. She still couldn’t believe what had happened. 

“Raps...I-“ Cassandra began, but suddenly Rapunzel stood up. 

“I know. You’re sorry.” She cut her off, “And I’m happy you’re alive. But sorry isn’t gonna cut it this time.” Rapunzel took a deep breath, trying very hard not to explode, “I...I’m mad at you, Cassandra. Really, REALLY mad at you. Did you honestly think you could come back and everything would be fine after what you’ve done?” 

“Rapunzel, I-“ A snap quickly cut her off, and she shut right up. 

“I’m not done.” Rapunzel said sharply, “You don’t get to speak. It’s my turn to be mad at you now. Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Where you lied to my face about wanting to be my friend? All I wanted was your friendship, no strings attached, but apparently, that was too much to ask for from you. You know, looking back I should’ve seen the resemblance between you and Mother. You both just LOVE to use me! Like how you used me to try to win the Contest of the Crowns, you used me to hide the fact that you sneaking me out backfired on you. Oh, and let’s not forget. You used me to get to the Moonstone! You betrayed me! You turned your back on me without a second thought! And you didn’t even look back. And then tried to kill me every chance you got. Which leaves me to wonder, what else was a lie Cassandra?! What else did you lie to my face about?! Was there EVER a moment, ONE moment, where I was ACTUALLY your friend, you....YOU FIDDLESTICKER?!“ 

The crowd in the courtyard gasped in shock. Nobody had ever seen Rapunzel this angry. And it made Cassandra want to curl up in a ball and hide in a hole. “I-I...” she croaked, but nothing else came out. There was nothing she could say in her defense. 

“I’ve heard enough of this. Men, lock her up and put her in the dungeon.” Frederick instructed. Pete and Stan hesitated, looking to Eugene for something, anything to show them they didn’t have to arrest Cassandra. That was the last thing they wanted to do. She was their most loyal friend, the one they trusted with all their secrets. But instead, Eugene hung his head. 

“Pete, Stan, you heard the King.” He muttered. 

“Wait...what?” Rapunzel asked. What was happening? Cassandra couldn’t be arrested! 

“Cassandra of Corona, you are under arrest for multiple counts of murder, multiple accounts of attempted murder, treason, kidnapping, terrorism, and theft.” Eugene informed blankly, not even looking as Pete and Stan cuffed her. Cassandra didn’t look at him either. She couldn’t look at anyone. She looked down at the ground, though she felt all eyes on her. 

“We will hold your trial tomorrow afternoon.” Frederick decreed. Rapunzel furrowed her brow. But, the sentence for treason was...no! No, she just brought her back! 

“Dad, you can’t! She doesn’t deserve that!!” Rapunzel pleaded. “I’m sorry, Rapunzel.” Frederick replied, although there was no regret in his voice “It needed to happen.” 

Cassandra was barely even listening to either of them. She simply kept staring at the cobblestones as she was dragged away. Varian was right. He was right all along. He’d explicitly warned him, and she brushed him off just like everyone had always done to her. Now, she had truly lost everything. Speaking of Varian, she could feel his eyes on her more than anyone else’s. She wanted to glare at him to get him to stop staring, but she didn’t really have a right to. Suddenly a voice rang out among the crowd. 

“Cassandra! No! No, let her go! You can’t do this to her!!” Caspar, the former Captain, shouted. Cassandra instantly froze at that, gasping sharply. 

“Dad?” She whispered, so softly that even she could barely hear herself. 

“LET HER GO!! That’s my little girl!!” Caspar yelled again. He tried to push through the crowd to get to her, but Conley and Eugene held him back. 

“Sir, I’m sorry, but we have to do this.” Eugene tried to reason, but Caspar wasn’t having it. 

“LET MY DAUGHTER GO THIS INSTANT!!” 

“Dad!” 

“Cassandra!” By now Cassandra was struggling as well, trying to get to her father. To see him again. It had been so long. She always thought he was dead. She needed to get to him. 

“Daddy!” She cried pathetically, and suddenly Caspar’s mind flew back to that fateful night so many years ago where he first met his little girl. 

“Cassandra, I’m coming!” He yelled. 

“Daddy, I’m sorry!” Cassandra yelled back, barely keeping it together she was crying so much. 

“Cass, come on!” Stan yelled, yanking her back. Cassandra felt herself trip and faceplant onto the ground, a rock hitting her in the chest right where the moonstone used to be. Pete and Stan picked her up, and kept walking her into the castle. “Get her a medic. She has wounds that were left untreated.” Eugene instructed as he followed them in. Caspar fell to his knees and sobbed as the door to the castle shut, concealing his daughter from him forever. His Cassandra, his precious little girl...he’d never see her again. 

~~

“What if Rapunzel pardoned her?” Lance suggested. 

“She can’t. She isn’t acting queen anymore, so she doesn’t have the authority to issue pardons now.” Eugene said tiredly. 

“Well, what if we broke her out o-“ 

“Lance. Let it go. There’s nothing we can do to save her. Face it, our luck has run out.” Eugene cut off bluntly, “She doesn’t even have anyone to defend her case.”

“Wait, she what now?” Varian asked. 

“It’s not even a real trial.” Rapunzel said sadly. “No lawyers, no defense statement. The whole kingdom knows she’s guilty. Dad’s just doing this for ceremony, and then she’ll...” She couldn’t even finish that sentence. It hurt to much to even say. 

“No.” Varian simply said after a moment of silence. “What?” Rapunzel asked, wiping her tears. “No.” Varian repeated, more firm and adamant this time, “I have already lost her too many times. I am NOT losing her again. Raps, you and me are going into that throne room. And we aren’t leaving until we save Cassie’s life.”

~~

“Cassandra,” Frederick began, “You stand before your kingdom today accused of-“ 

Suddenly the doors opened, but Cassandra didn’t look up to see who it was. She didn’t care who it was. “Your bumbling majesty!” Varian announced. Oh, just great. He was here to watch her execution. 

“I have something that’ll blow this case wide open!” He announced. 

“Do you now?” Nigel asked dryly. 

“Not really, but I’ve always wanted to say that cause it sounds cool.” Varian replied, “But Princess Rapunzel and I are here to argue for the defense of Cassandra.” Wait what? Finally, Cassandra looked up. And sure enough, there were Rapunzel and Varian standing just in front of her between her and Frederick, looking fiercely determined. 

“You could at least let his majesty read the charges.” Nigel griped, “Besides, aren’t you unqualified to practice law?” 

“Aren’t you unqualified to be talking shit, Nigel?” Varian retorted. 

“Enough, both of you.” Frederick scolded, “Varian. Rapunzel. Your client stands accused of malefic, high treason, theft, usurpation, mass destruction, attempted mass murder, murder, slander, kidnapping, extortion, brainwashing, enslavement, terrorism, identity theft, fraud, sabatoge, torture, and blackmail. How does she plead?” 

“She pleads guilty, no question of it.” Varian said. And Cassandra tried her hardest not to cry. She looked back down to hide her tears. 

“However, that is not what we’re here to argue.” Rapunzel added, “We are here to argue her sentence.” 

“The sentence for treason and malefic alone is death!” Nigel guffawed. 

“I committed treason, and I still lived.” Varian argued. 

“You spent 9 months in prison and then broke out. The only reason you’re alive is because Princess Rapunzel pardoned you. And Cassandra is certainly not worth a pardon!” Nigel argued back. 

“We can still sentence her without killing her. You know that, Dad.” Rapunzel looked up at her father with pleading eyes, “She has already died once.” 

“And frankly, most of her crimes were only committed because Zhan Tiri was manipulating her.” Varian added. 

“Add aiding and abetting to the list of charges.” Nigel snarked, “Quite a defense you two are making.” 

“You can fuck right off, Nigel.” Varian snapped. 

“Enough.” Frederick said sharply, “Rapunzel, Varian. If you don’t think Cassandra should be burned at the stake, what should her sentence be?” 

Rapunzel walked up to her father and handed him a piece of paper. Frederick looked it over, impressed at the research they had done. 

“Very well.” He relented, “Cassandra, as King of Corona. I hereby sentence you to five years in exile. If you are found within Corona’s borders at any point during this time, you will be sentenced to a decade in prison. Is that understood?” 

Cassandra looked up again in shock. Did...did that just happen? Was this just a dream or a hallucination? Whatever it was, she slowly nodded her head yes. 

“Good. You will be given until tomorrow afternoon to pack your belongings and leave.” Frederick instructed. And with that, Cassandra was escorted out of the throne room. 

It broke Varian’s heart to do this, but it was better this way. This way, she’d live. He could visit her, write to her every day. He’d already seen her die once. He couldn’t let her die again. This was what needed to happen.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave kudos and comments!


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